Edited Version: A New Day Begins
by connor.vanecek
Summary: Vader travels to Mordor. Part 2 in my multiverse series.
1. Chapter 1

This is the second story in a series where Darth Vader discovers that multiversal travel is now possible. The previous story is "The End of Night". If anyone has any ideas for future stories, please send those as a private message. I will make sure to credit you with the idea if I decide to write it. Also please leave reviews.

Editor: Brievel

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this story.

Update 5/30/2016: Since three of my stories were back to back in the exact same crossover, they have been combined into this one story.


	2. Chapter 2

A year and a half has passed since the teleporting mutant called Kurt had accidentally landed himself on the Death Star, leading to the discovery of the first wormhole. Thousands of wormholes have been identified and explored with scout drones. Now Darth Vader has returned to the Death Star, still under construction, to travel through the originally discovered wormhole. With some priority being given to the engines, the Death Star is moved far enough away so the wormhole is no longer within the station and so Vader can fly a ship into it.

Stormtroopers and Imperial Officers fill the docking bay, and create a single path between the bay door and a TIE fighter. They all salute as Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin enter the bay and walk towards the TIE fighter. Once they reach the fighter, the commander salutes Vader.

"Good luck Lord Vader, may you have a successful journey," Tarkin says.

"I do not require luck," Vader replied. Tarkin lowers his salute, irritated by Vader's lack of respect.

Vader climbs into his TIE fighter. The bay traffic controller can be heard over his ship's comm. "Lord Vader, you are clear for take-off."

"Acknowledged," Vader replied curtly. His ship lifts off the ground and hovers for a second before it flies through the bay shield.

He can see the tear in fabric of space and time, something that cannot be seen directly without the Force. Once upon the wormhole, Vader raises his left hand, and with the Force, commands the wormhole to open. A gigantic hole opens to reveal a swirling mass of white, blue, and silver.

Vader flies his ship into the opening and is immediately overcome with a sensation that this strange new place is made up of pure Force energy. It also brings a sense a calm over him, clearing his mind, and giving him some peace, even if only temporarily.

As the exit to the wormhole opens Vader flies his ship towards a dark and desolate land. He sees a giant, fiery eye atop a lonely tower. Just as he is about to land, the eye notices the TIE fighter and focuses on this stranger. Once on the ground, Vader steps out of his fighter and looks around at the wasteland in front of him.

Suddenly, Vader notices an immensely strong presence in the Force. It is mobile, and heading towards a volcano. 'Maybe this won't be a complete waste of time,' he thought.

Some creatures off in the distance, soldiers it appears, start making their way over to investigate. As they approach, they ready their weapons and shields. One steps out in front of the rest.

"Well what do we have here?" the creature, most likely the commander, spoke aloud, rhetorically. Vader remains silent, only his breathing can be heard while waiting to see what the commander's first move will be. "I guess we'll find out once you're sent straight to the tower." He advances towards Vader, while the others begin to encircle. Vader flicks his wrist, but nothing happens. The Force was not responding to his will, it only seemed to alert him.

"Was that supposed to do something?" the commander asked as he continued, (tense) nearly upon Vader. Apparently the Force does not flow through this universe as easily as he is used to. His lightsaber flies to his hand and is activated just as the first creature comes directly in front of him. The red glow of the lightsaber is enough to stop all of them in their tracks.

The commander only smiles, not caring, thinking it to be some poor magic trick. Thrusting his weapon, it was deflected by Vader's right hand. Now it is Vader's turn as he swings his saber and cuts off the arm holding the weapon. A roar of agony erupts from the commander just before Vader silences him by slicing through his skull. Now the rest of the creatures have a sense of fear permeating through their numbers, only remaining out of an even greater fear of what would happen if they fled.

One of the creatures attacks Vader at full speed. The creature raises its weapon high, upon Vader in mere seconds. But with his far quicker reflexes, Vader is able to dodge the crude weapon and slices through this creature's midsection. It was laughable at how easily he disposed of his opponents. Only a single swing and the hideously ugly creatures lay at his feet in pieces.

Filled with fear, the rest surrounding Vader attack all at once. Hoping beyond hope that their numbers will overwhelm him. Horrible and harsh battle cries are let loose as they converge upon him. The lightsaber swings through the air as it melts metal and sears flesh, creating a horrid stench that would disgust anyone.

Battle cries turn into howls and shouts of pain and agony. As their numbers push in further to surround Vader, he quickly cuts off the heads of two of these soldiers at once and then jumps out from the middle of these creatures onto a higher piece of ground.

They resume their attack, but now Vader is able to cut them down far more quickly with his new advantage. Now they are merely lining up for him, awaiting their deaths. This had been nothing more than an irritating inconvenience.

With the last of the creatures having fallen, Vader puts away his lightsaber and makes his way towards the volcano. Inside the volcano stands two short, human-looking individuals, with no shoes on their feet. One stands near the precipice and looks down into the heart of the volcano, his hand holding onto a chain with a ring attached to it. The other stands back away from him.

"Well, go on then Mr. Frodo. Throw it in, destroy it once and for all," the blonde-haired individual said. The one called Frodo turned around to face his companion. As he opened his mouth to speak, Frodo froze in fear, eyes widening. Sam spun, seeing the black specter that had scared his master so.

"He will do no such thing. Instead, he shall hand it over to me," Vader said. Sam placed himself in between Vader and Frodo, having drawn his sword.

"You won't get your hands on him. I'll cut you before I let that happen," Sam said, feigning courage in front of this intimidating figure.

Unamused by this fool's attempt to stop him, Vader uses his right hand to knock down his "opponent's" weapon. Grabbing him by the throat, he throws Sam against the cavern wall. Rendered unconscious, Sam merely slumps against a rock.

"SAM!" Frodo yelled. As Vader advances towards him, a voice inside Frodo's head orders him to put on the ring. Now invisible, Frodo hopes he will have enough time to think of a way out of this. Guiding his thoughts, the Ring prevents any thought of helping Sam from entering Frodo's mind. It tells him to run instead.

But Vader can sense the power of the Ring. Frodo is caught by a left uppercut, as he tries to run past, and falls to the ground, unconscious. The Ring slips off of his finger, making him visible, and calls out to the only other being left nearby that has enough of a chance of being 'delivered' to its master.

Vader bends down and picks up the ring, marveling in the power and glory of his prize. Never before had such beauty been placed into a single object. But in that moment, a small, gangly creature jumps on Vader's back and begins pounding its fists against his helmet.

"THE PRECIOUS IS MINE!" the creature exclaims. Vader grabs this creature and throws him off, towards the precipice. The creature gets up immediately, spitting out a tooth and some blood. The creature turns back towards Vader, its teeth bared, its eyes filled with animalistic rage.

"THE PRECIOUS BELONGS TO ME!" the creature yells. In this time, Vader has removed his gauntlet and slipped on the ring. The Ring puts up a small fight, but Vader is able to overcome the Ring's power and instead dominates it with his own connection to the Force. The Ring enhances Vader's strength, unbelievable power now coursing through him.

With the creature running on all fours at Vader, he merely picks it up with the Force, suspending it in the air. "What a pitiful creature you are," Vader taunted. Snarling, the creature flailed around in the air as it tried to reach Vader. "Maybe I should show you some mercy-" he throws it over the precipice "-by ending your pathetic life." The creature cries out as it falls to its doom in the magma.

Vader exits the volcano and looks directly at the eye. A connection exists between the two, it is clear to him. Looking down the volcano, more creatures, just like the ones from earlier, are advancing their way up, with a couple of giants along with them. With a simple flick of his wrist, they are quite easily thrown off of the volcano and sent plummeting to their deaths.

Using the Force, Vader brings his TIE fighter to him and sets it down on the side of the volcano. He climbs in and flies back towards the wormhole. The fiery eye dissipates and follows him back through the wormhole as a black wisp.


	3. Chapter 3

Vader stood alone in his personal training room aboard the Death Star. To be able to wield the Ring, the Sith Lord now wears a smaller gauntlet to accommodate. He has set another battle simulation to begin, to test the Ring's power. A panel to his right opens up and a droideka rolls out in front of him and fires three blasts. Drawing his lightsaber with Force-enhanced reflexes, he deflects the first shot and redirects the other two shots back to the droideka, only for them to bounce off of the droideka's shield. He uses the Force to knock off the droideka's head, rendering it completely useless.

A second panel opens randomly from behind as another droideka tries to surprise him. Spinning around, he reflects two blaster shots back towards the second droideka, the shots flying over the droid. He flings it up against the wall with the Force and then causes its torso to explode. Soon two droidekas roll out from behind panels, one on his left, the other on his right. Vader uses the Force to crumple the droideka to his left and flings it at the one on his right. The second droideka is distracted long enough for the Sith Lord to telekinetically grab all three of its legs and shove them into its own head.

Two hovering droids, equipped with blasters, appear out of the ceiling and automatically fire a constant barrage of blasts at Vader. Ably dodging the stream of blasts, he jumps back about two meters. With the Force, he grabs one droid and smashes it into the other. Panels open up on either side of him and out walk two B2 Super Battle Droids. They both target the Dark Lord with their cannon arms and fire a homing rocket each. Both rockets are grabbed with the Force and maneuvered around him so that they strike the battle droids instead, causing the B2s to blow to a thousand pieces.

Discontented with the battle simulation, Vader could see that it was just like all the others, unsuitable to test the Ring's true power. All of a sudden, a slight disturbance could be felt in the Force. Barely noticeable, but it was there. Something had just entered the room.

A second figure lurks in the shadows. It has spent the last several months studying Vader and his universe. With its shadow-like form, the being has been able to possess station personnel and interact with computers across the station, learning everything it can.

Vader turns in the direction of the spirit. The power of the Ring courses through him and he unleashes Force energy from his hand to dispel the being. Quickly, the shadow dodges his attack and darts across the room. It decides that now is the time to take the Ring. Ever since it learned of midi-chlorians, and their possible ability to create life, the spirit sought out these organisms and started gathering them earlier that day. Slowly collecting them from dead skin cells as they fell off of individuals, only allowing them to feed off of its own energy in order to keep them alive.

Now the time has come to use them for its own purpose. The shadow moves to the floor, and from it, a body rises and takes shape. Upon completion, the Dark Lord Sauron stands before the Sith. Sauron stops supplying energy to the midi-chlorians to focus on his opponent. Soon the body will die off, forcing Sauron to act quickly. Only the One Ring can truly sustain him indefinitely.

Vader is now the key to Sauron's new plan. With him out of the way, Sauron will be able to use the Ring to regain his shapeshifting abilities and take on Vader's appearance to get close to the Emperor. From there Sauron will kill the Emperor and take his place in disguise. With this grand empire at his command, he will conquer far more than Middle-Earth.

Sauron places his open hands in front of him and conjures a ball of fire in between them. The ball of fire turns into a stream that rushes towards Vader. Vader raises his left hand and generates a Force-barrier to divert the flames around him, and the fire dissipates into nothing. The Ring begins to yearn for its true master, a feeling that Vader can sense. He realizes that this individual is connected to his prize.

Still in command of the Ring, Vader unleashes a powerful shockwave at his opponent. Sauron deflects the assault with the back of his hand. Concerned with the amount of time he has already used up, Sauron generates lightning and hurls it towards Vader. Vader draws his lightsaber and is able to deflect most of it, but his breathing apparatus is struck by a few volts and forced to temporarily shut down.

Having lost the ability to breathe, Vader gasps for air, falling to one knee while losing concentration on everything else. He lifts his hand, in vain, to release Force energy. Sauron walks towards Vader until he is directly in front of him. Glad to see his opponent almost defeated, Sauron reaches forward, sparks emanating from his palm, ready to strike with another bolt.

In what is left of his vision, Vader sees this being about to attack. He is just barely able to muster up enough strength to focus and use the Force. Sauron did not expect this and was flung against the far wall across the room. As the respirator comes back online, Vader takes a few deep, rejuvenating breaths, and, having been restored, rises to his feet.

He begins his advance on this enemy, hurling a blast of Force energy. Unable to react in time, Sauron is struck, causing his midi-chlorians to weaken. Vader unleashes another volley of energy and strikes Sauron a second time.

Now the midi-chlorians begin to die off, wisps of smoke arising from Sauron. Time is up, the body must be discarded. But this individual must not be allowed to roam freely across the Death Star.

With the power of the Ring, Vader encases Sauron inside a Force Sphere, sufficiently containing him. He searches for the energy connecting the Ring with Sauron. Once he finds it, he pulls the sphere along the connection and imprisons Sauron within the Ring. There is a sense of completeness coming from the Ring, even if this was not the intended reunion.

A voice comes on over the intercom to his training room. "Lord Vader, the Emperor has arrived. He demands to see you at once." Vader proceeds out of the room, tired of having to deal with this wretched, old man.


	4. Chapter 4

The Dark Lord has entered the Emperor's throne room. He walked up to the Emperor and knelt before him. "Rise," the Emperor said, and Vader obediently stood upright.

"You have been keeping secrets from me, Vader." Vader does not move, nor does he flinch. "You have not kept me informed on these wormholes you have discovered."

"I apologize, Master," Vader said half-heartedly.

The Emperor, noticing peculiarities in his apprentice's behavior for the last several months, has looked through his personal files, and found the ones that concern the wormholes. Once he came upon Vader's personal file detailing his trip to the land of smoke and fire, and coming upon the Ring of Power, he knew that he must see this ring for himself. He looks down and notices the Ring on Vader's hand. This was the strong sensation he felt in the Force once he arrived on the Death Star. It also called to him, stirring within him the desire to possess it.

"Let me see that Ring." The Emperor pointed to Vader's hand, expecting him to be obedient.

"No," Vader said. Tension building within him as he knew what direction this path would take.

"What did you say?" the Emperor demanded, shocked by what he has heard.

"I said no. The Ring belongs to me," Vader answered defiantly.

Emperor Palpatine rises from his seat, his anger building. "How dare you disobey me? You shall give me the Ring at once!" The Emperor's hand stretched out with his palm open.

"I shall take it to my grave," Vader shouted, knowing that he could no longer turn back.

"Then you shall have your wish," the Emperor growled. Palpatine raises his hands, releasing Force lightning upon Vader. Vader activates his lightsaber and uses it to deflect the lightning. Now it is his turn and he returns with his own blast of energy flying towards the Emperor. The Emperor knocks the energy to the side.

"You shall regret this insubordination," the Emperor spat.

"I no longer require you as my Master." Vader hurls another volley of energy at his former master. The Emperor deflects this second attack and then sends a constant stream of lightning hurtling towards Vader. Vader uses his lightsaber to deflect this attack. While the Emperor is concentrating on his lightning attack, Vader frees his left hand to grab the Emperor by his feet with the Force and knock him off balance.

Palpatine falls to the floor. Vader approaches his former Master, glad to take the opportunity to be rid of him once and for all. The Emperor attempts to raise himself up, only to be knocked unconscious by another blow of Force energy from Vader. Now standing over the Emperor, Vader plunges his lightsaber through the chest of his former Master.

Vader steps forwards and sits on the Emperor's throne. Pressing a button on the panel next to him, it activates a subspace transmitter that sends a live message out across the Galactic Empire to all military vessels and installations.

"Emperor Palpatine has died. I, Emperor Vader, now take my place as his rightful heir to the throne." With control over the Imperial Navy, and being virtually worshipped by the Stormtrooper Corps, none would be able to oppose him.


	5. Chapter 5

It is a time of unrest across Middle-Earth. Several months have passed since the armies of Mordor laid siege to the city of Minas Tirith. Once the battle had ended, Aragorn led what was left of the combined might of the forces of Gondor and Rohan to the Black Gate of Mordor, in order to give the hobbits, Frodo and Sam, time to destroy the Ring of Power and put an end to the Dark Lord Sauron once and for all.

At the time, it seemed to be an effort in futility as Orcs and Trolls came flooding out of the Black Gate to meet such a puny force. Men were killed off by the score as hope slowly slipped away. Seemingly out of nowhere, screeching could be heard from the eight Ring-Wraiths flying overhead.

Fighting stops as Orcs and Trolls look up in confusion to see the Wraiths fly back into Mordor. Off in the distance, the fiery eye atop the tower has gone out. In their uncertainty, the forces of Mordor retreat behind the wall. The army of men, just as confused by the events that had transpired, merely watch as the Black Gate shuts in front of them.

With an uneasy calm having settled across the land, the nations of men rebuild their forces for what is believed to be an oncoming battle. Progress is slow, as untrained peasants have been conscripted. Three elven armies have made their way down to Minas Tirith to aid in the fight against the forces of darkness.

It is mere moments before dawn. Looking down on the Pelennor Fields, Gandalf stands atop the highest level of the city, out in front of the Tower of Ecthelion and the White Tree. He takes a few puffs from his pipe as he hears footsteps approaching from behind. The White Wizard turns to see the Elven Lord, Elrond of Rivendell, walking towards him. Elrond stops as he comes to stand next to Gandalf.

"Still having trouble sleeping?" Elrond asked. Gandalf took a few more puffs of his pipe-weed.

"It has not been easy," Gandalf said, a little tired. Lack of sleep had become apparent upon his face.

"By my count, old friend, you have been struggling to sleep for the last month," Elrond replied.

"A new dark force has made its presence known in Middle-Earth. The last time I felt it was during the Battle of the Black Gate. It is much stronger now. You have felt it as well." Gandalf took a drag from his pipe. "Why else would you have arrived with three armies at your back?"

"Aragorn can only do so much in the short time since he was crowned King of Gondor. Untrained soldiers will stand no match if this new force of darkness decides to attack the Realms of Men. He has, at the least, rebuilt the outer wall of the city." Elrond replied.

The sun began to rise over the horizon, shedding off the twilight. Off in the distance, an Orc horn is trumpeted. Gandalf and Elrond turn to look out across the fields. On the far side, an army has amassed itself, advancing towards Gondor with every minute.

Aragorn came rushing out of his chambers, still dressed in his nightly garb, while having also thrown on his tunic and short-sword. Gandalf and Elrond move out of his way as he stands atop the precipice. This is the moment he has been preparing for, hopefully, it will be enough. With the precipice designed to carry his voice across Minas Tirith, to reach every citizen, he declares, "All able-bodied men are to assume battle positions immediately." Surely everyone had been awoken by the trumpets.

Aragorn turned and walked off to prepare himself for battle, just as Gandalf had left to join the frontlines at the gate, and as Elrond had gone off to find the other two Elf-Lords, Lord Cirdan and Lady Galadriel.

Ever since Vader imprisoned Sauron within the Ring of Power, and took the place of Emperor Palpatine, after killing him; he has returned to Middle-Earth to formally expand his control across the multiverse. As he re-entered Mordor and stepped out of his TIE fighter, the Nazgul descended from the skies, having sensed their master Sauron had returned. Realizing that he was trapped within the Ring, they drew their swords, the fell-beasts on which they rode became excited. They must find a way to free their master.

Vader could feel a single sensation from these eight opponents; subservience. Through his Ring, he was able to see that they could be made to serve him. The Dark Lord raised his hand and declared, "ENOUGH!". The Nazgul lowered their swords, the fell-beasts quieted down. Now he could control the skies in a world where men could not get off the ground.

It took a month to consolidate control over Mordor. The Nazgul were sent off days ago to ensure the loyalty of the Easterners. Having learned of Saruman's Orc-growing methods, he was able to create a decent-sized army in little to no time. Now all of Mordor's forces are at his back, ready to continue the fight against men. Riding on top of a Warg, Vader leads his new army.

At Minas Tirith, Elven archers line the walls. The Rohirrim ride atop their horses, waiting behind the main gate. Gandalf sits on his pure white steed, Shadowfax, ready to lead the foot-soldiers into battle. Aragorn has arrived at the main gate, ready for battle in case the city be breached. If the gate falls, there will be very little chance that the city will survive.

Soldiers across Minas Tirith are nerve-wracked, this being the first battle for many. Elrond stood with his archers along the wall on the third level of the city, the ever advancing army walking towards them. Once the Orc army was in range, Elrond raised his arm

"READY!" Elrond yelled. Archers, elf and man alike, raised their bows and drew their arrows. Aragorn walks over to Gandalf. Gandalf bends over to listen to him.

"AIM!" Elrond yelled. Bows are drawn as taught as they can be, sweat already dripping from the brows of every archer.

Aragorn speaks to Gandalf, "I don't suppose the dwarves will show up soon?" Aragorn asked rhetorically. Gandalf doesn't say a word and sits back up, his silence suggesting how hopeless this endeavor may be. Gandalf pulls out his pipe and takes a few final puffs to finish off his pipe-weed. Aragorn returns to his post.

"FIRE!" Elrond yelled as he thrusted his arm forward. Arrows are loosed across the city, flying towards the Orc army. So many arrows fill the sky that the sun is blotted out.

As long as Vader keeps moving, his army follows suit. Without ordering them to raise their shields for protection, Vader raises his hand upwards and stops every arrow in mid-air with the Force. Elrond looks on in terror at the sight of the arrows hanging in the air. His superior Elven sight allows him to see the arrows being turned back to Minas Tirith.

"RAISE SHIELDS, NOW!" Every soldier does so as the arrows come flying back at them. Most of the arrows are deflected, although dozens of soldiers are struck in one limb or another.

Gondorian horns are blown, signaling to open the gate and release the Rohirrim. The Riders of Rohan took up formation outside the city wall. Once in place, the Rohirrim commanders take position out front. Their main commander raised his sword, the Riders behind him do the same. The horses began moving forward at a trot.

Both armies are closing the gap between them at the walking pace. The Rohirrim start moving faster, the Orcs continue to walk. Once close enough, the Riders of Rohan break into a full gallop towards their enemy. Nothing changes with the speed at which the Orcs move. The Rohirrim move ever closer.

Vader raises his hand, and with the power of the Ring enhancing his Force abilities, he shifts the tectonic plate underneath the Rohirrim. It becomes too unsteady for the horses to continue upright and they merely fall over. Riders are easily knocked off of their steeds. The Dark Lord stopped the quake and drew his lightsaber, the red glow signaling to his army to attack.

Orcs and Wargs are in full sprint as they fall upon the Rohirrim, slaughtering them and their horses. The cries of man and beast can be heard back at Minas Tirith. If the soldiers weren't afraid before, they assuredly were now. As the Orcs finish their attack, Vader yells out to them, "FORM UP!" The Orcs resume formation. Nearly across the Pelennor Fields, they return to their walking pace.

Lord Vader can now clearly see the main gate to the city. No siege weapons were brought, for they would not be necessary. The Sith Lord raises his arm towards the gate. Grabbing it with the Force, he crumbles wood, metal, and stone into a fine powder. Aragorn does his best to keep his composure as the gate falls in front of him, though his eyes are wide with fear.

"May there be mercy on us all," Gandalf said, to no one in particular. With his sword drawn, Gandalf leads his men forwards into battle, outside the city wall. They march towards what appears to be certain doom. Vader raised one hand, signaling his army to halt. He raised his lightsaber again, his first few front lines run out towards the men.

"FIRE AT WILL!" Elrond yelled. Archers launch as many arrows as fast as their arms will allow. Most of the advancing Orcs are felled on the spot.

Vader turns to his second-in-command. "Signal the next five lines to attack." Vader ordered. The Orc relays the message to another who is carrying a horn. The signal was trumpeted out. Vader raised his lightsaber again and the Orcs charge at the army of men. This time Vader's Warg runs ahead of them.

Gandalf lets loose his own battle cry and urges Shadowfax to charge. The soldiers run right behind him. Both armies clash in the fields. Gandalf slashes and thrust his sword at the oncoming Orcs, while Vader easily cuts down men with his lightsaber. Burnt flesh and melted armor can now be smelt in the middle of battle.

One of the soldiers threw a spear and sent it through the head of Vader's Warg. Vader landed on his side as he hit the ground. He picked himself up and looked in the direction of the warrior that killed his Warg. The soldier had drawn his sword and cut down every Orc that came his way. With the Force, Vader grabbed the helmet of the soldier and crushed it inwards, causing the body to fall to the ground, blood pouring out of the helmet.

Vader turns to face Gandalf as the wizard continues to fight off Orcs. With a single blow, Vader uses the Force to knock Gandalf down from his steed. With the Force, Shadowfax's head is snapped. Seeing his horse having fallen, the wizard picked himself up, sword in one hand, and staff in the other.

Gandalf attacked Vader with his sword, only to have the Dark Lord dodge his thrust and cut through the sword with his lightsaber. Thrusting his staff forward, Gandalf telekinetically strikes Vader and sends him backwards. Staying on his feet though, Vader's feet create two lines in the dirt. He decides to quickly deal with the wizard.

With the Force, Vader knocks the staff out of the wizard's hand, then uses the Force to grab Gandalf around his neck, choking him. Slowly raising him up into the air, everyone looks on as the White Wizard has his life drained from him.

Unable to breathe any longer, Gandalf goes limp, his face having turned purple, and his tongue turned blue. Vader lets him fall back to the ground. Men are now in full retreat to the city walls, hoping to find security in their numbers. Just as Vader is about to walk over Gandalf's body, he can still feel a presence in the Force coming from this individual. He looks down to notice a ring on the wizard's hand.

Grabbing it with the Force, the ring is taken from Gandalf and lands in the Dark Lord's hand. Looking closely at the ring, he can see that the band is adorned with a ruby on top. The power emanating from the ring is different from his own ring. A sensation so strong came from the ring that any ordinary person could feel it. One emotion could be felt from this ring; inspiration. This ring could be used to inspire those around the wearer to rise up against an oppressor. It must be kept locked away and studied, until it can only be used to enhance Vader's own power.

Vader places the ring in a small satchel on his person. He turns to see that the fighting has moved inside the city. Men and Elves are doing a good enough job keeping the Orcs at bay. The Sith Lord walked forwards, through his own lines, over the city threshold, emerging into the middle of battle.

Aragorn was fighting back the Orcs, side by side with his men, keeping hope alive. As he sliced the throat of an Orc, Aragorn came face to face with Vader. The King of Gondor moved towards the Dark Lord, slicing his sword through the air. Vader ducks and uses his lightsaber to cut Aragorn's shield in half. Aragorn throws off his shield, now an unnecessary weight. He thrusts his blade at Vader, only for Vader to dodge and shove his lightsaber through Aragorn's torso.

Vader retracts his lightsaber as the former king falls. With all hope having been lost, the men run in all directions, pursued by Orcs. Several Elven archers atop buildings fire on the Sith at the same time, from all directions. Vader grabs the arrows with the Force and sends them back to their owners, striking them down.

The Dark Lord turns back to face his army outside the city, a clear path between them. He raises his lightsaber one more time, calling on them to charge forth.

With the battle over, most of the soldiers from within Minas Tirith are now dead. The three Elf Lords are lined up, on their knees, heads down, hands bound. Vader stands in front of them, with his second next to him.

"Is this all of them?" Vader asked.

"Yes Emperor, these are the only ones left to command an army." The Orc said.

"Good," Vader said. Elrond looks up at Vader and sees the Ring of Power on his hand.

"You may have the Ring, but the forces of darkness shall never preva-." With his lightsaber, Vader decapitated Elrond before he could finish speaking. He moved onto the next two elves and did likewise. All three lie before him with severed heads.

Even with the life-force drained from their bodies, Vader can still sense energy coming from two of them, just as when he defeated the wizard. Looking down at their bound hands, he noticed a ring on the hand of the dark-haired elf, and one on the female. Picking up the rings with the Force, he can see that one is adorned with a white stone, while the other has a blue stone. Powerful objects in their own right, Vader placed them with the red one, planning to lock them up once he returns to the Death Star. He turned to his second-in-command.

"I shall leave this world. You are to conquer the rest of this nation called Gondor," Vader commanded.

"Of course, Emperor. You shall have control over Gondor when you return," the Orc said as he saluted Vader.

Off in the distance, a lone elf sat atop a horse, having only seen the very end of the battle. Legolas returned from the north to inform his friend Aragorn that his father's forces would not be arriving from the dark forest of Mirkwood. He turned back to whence he came and left in a gallop.

A new mission had arisen, to take the rest of the people from the Elf-lands to Mirkwood and to inform the dwarves to strengthen their mountain strongholds. The people of Rohan must be sent up north to live with the men and hobbits west of the Misty Mountains. Maybe the Ents could be convinced to move to Mirkwood as well. All creatures of Middle-Earth must now consolidate their forces in the north to fight against the oncoming darkness.


End file.
